The University Bible Fellowship was founded on September
1, 1961 in the midst of national turmoil following the 4/19
nation-wide demonstration and the 5/16 coup d'etat. At the time,
Korean college students who were supposed to be the future leaders
of the country fell into deep despair due to the social instability
and the deteriorating value system of the times. At that time,
Dr. Samuel Lee (1931-2002) was ministering to college students
in the Daein Church, in Kwangju after graduating from a Presbyterian
seminary. Dr. Lee met Missionary Sarah Barry who volunteered
to come to Korea to help this war-devastated country. She was
sent by the Board of World Missions of the Presbyterian Church,
U.S.-Southern, and is currently working at the Chicago U.B.F.
as a world representative.
They shared a common belief that the best way to help Korea
and the world was to plant faith and hope for the future in
the hearts of college students with a life-giving spirit,
that they would grow to be future leaders. To this end, they
began to pray with the prayer topic, "Bible Korea, World
Mission," and studied the Bible with college students.
This was the beginning of the University Bible Fellowship.